The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Settled in Ossiriand before the Return of the Noldor,1 and remained there throughout the remainder of the First Age
Location
Ossiriand, the lands eastward of the river Gelion and southward of Ascar
Origins
A branch of the Nandor, who had been led westward across the Blue Mountains and into Ossiriand by Denethor
Race
Division
Pronunciation
Ossiriand is pronounced 'ossi'riand'
Meaning
Other names

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About this entry:

  • Updated 21 June 2024
  • This entry is complete
"The woodcraft of the Elves of Ossiriand was such that a stranger might pass through their land from end to end and see none of them."
Quenta Silmarillion 14
Of Beleriand and its Realms

A name for the Laiquendi, or Green-elves, who dwelt in the land of Ossiriand between the River Gelion and the Blue Mountains. In origin, they were an offshoot of the Nandor, and were relative late-comers to Beleriand. They allied themselves with Thingol and Círdan, but took terrible losses in the First Battle of the Wars of Beleriand. After losing their leader Denethor in that battle, they took up a reclusive, hidden existence, and became famous for their stealth and secrecy.

Centuries later, after the Ruin of Doriath at the hands of the Dwarves, the Elves of Ossiriand went to open battle once again. At the call of Beren, they set out to revenge Thingol and his people, and so helped recapture the Silmaril that would play such a momentous part in the later history of the First Age.


Notes

1

The Silmarillion does not provide a specific date for this event, saying only that Denethor and his people crossed into Ossiriand during the third age of the Captivity of Melkor. More definite dating can be found in the Grey Annals (in volume XI of The History of Middle-earth) which give a figure of 145 Valian Years before the Return of the Noldor (that is, about 1,389 solar years before Fëanor led the Noldor back to Middle-earth from Aman, and the Wars of Beleriand began in earnest).

See also...

Wars of Beleriand

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 21 June 2024
  • This entry is complete

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